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Definition of carillon

carillon

/ˈkær.əˌlɑːn/
car · il · lon
Plural:carillons
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carillon Lexical Profile

carillon Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A musical instrument consisting of a set of at least twenty-three cast bronze bells, usually housed in a tower and played via a keyboard or mechanical mechanism.

Example

"The intricate melody echoed across the university campus as the musician played the grand carillon in the clock tower."

2

A tune or melody played on a set of stationary bells.

Example

"We stood quietly in the town square, listening to the afternoon carillon before returning to work."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for carillon

• Nearby Words

caribou
caricature
caricaturist
carillon
caring
caringly
caringness

Word Origin & Etymology

From French 'carillon', an alteration of Old French 'carignon', which derived from Late Latin 'quaternio' meaning 'a set of four', referring to the four bells originally rung in a church.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Carillon. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 6, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/carillon
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